Designer Solutions

Room Makeover

Is your home cramped with clutter? Got a room that needs a new look? Designer Solutions can solve your decorating dilemma.

Starting out as feature writer for British House & Garden, interior design expert Mary Gilliatt has helped design the homes of celebrities such as Katie Couric and Liam Neeson. Her work has been featured in publications such as the Daily Express and the London Times. She also wrote and co-hosted a decorating series for the Public Broadcasting System (PBS), called 'Decorating with Mary Gilliatt.' Gilliatt has written 39 books on architecture and design and now serves as the director of design for Decor & You, an interior design franchise with offices in the Washington area.

Gilliatt was online to take questions and discuss her design concept for this edition of Designer Solutions .

The transcript follows below.

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washingtonpost.com:

Good afternoon! Welcome to this edition of Designer Solutions Live, with special guest designer, Mary Gilliatt .

She's decorated the homes of such celebrities as Katie Couric and Liam Neeson. Using her expertise, Gilliatt gave this cramped room some extra space.

Mary, thanks for joining us. Could you explain what your design concept was?

Mary Gilliatt: Well, as the room really had no space for a proper bed and the closets were quite generous, it seemed sensible to dispense with the middle closets (any good carpenter should be able do this and 'make good' as they say, for under a $1,000). Subtracting the closets then created an alcove big enough to set back a double bed. Although there were large windows the room did not appear particularly light, so I tried to give the space a lighter, fresher, airier look with a blue and white scheme. My first thought was to make the room quite contemporary, but then I thought that guests might like a rather more eclectic and personal-looking space.

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Dressing up a fireplace: I have a gas fireplace in my family room area. The room itself is very large (with 20 ft. ceilings) and opens into the kitchen. The fireplace sits on a wall that has narrow windows on either side. I want to change the look, instead of the standard builders mantle and surround. I was thinking of stone (and not necessarily all the way up the wall), what would you do to make it a bit more interesting?

Mary Gilliatt: You certainly could use stone, but it is, of course, quite expensive. And sometimes it is difficult to find exactly the right stone so that the area does not become too folksy or 'country.' It also somewhat depends upon the style of your big room. Another solution would be to create a dado or wainscoting either side of the fireplace at average waist height. You could continue this all around the room. It is easy to achieve with a simple piece of continuous molding fixed to the wall and painted a different harmonizing or contrasting color to the main wall above. Of course you could also use proper paneling or you could get it faux-painted. Or if the main wall is a color, the dado or wainscoting could simply be painted white with a contrast molding.

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Northern Virginia: I recently bought my first home, and have outdoor space for the first time. I would like to get a dining set and umbrella for my patio, but I am low on decorating funds. Do you have any suggestions on where to shop for good quality patio furniture without breaking the budget? Any other suggestions on how to decorate a deck and/or patio without spending a lot? Thanks.

Mary Gilliatt: You can very often find good quality old patio or terrace furniture in junk yards or yard sales and it is really worth while making constant visits to these places. Old stuff often only needs a clean-up and a coat or two of white or green paint. Haunt sale rooms too, and, furniture shop sales for great bargains. I have seen great market umbrellas marked down to under $100. Another idea, if the outside space is just by the house is to buy one of those tubular steel pergolas that are sold by Cosco for just under $600. They can be painted white, and you can grow climbing plants up the sides, and the whole then looks so summery you can quite well put a regular table and chairs there with a pretty cloth to create a very glamorous setting. You will not need an umbrella with this because you can cover the top with slats and grow more plants over the top for shade. Until they grow luxuriantly enough, you can get shade by covering the top with lengths of woven split cane that you can often find at garden centers.

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Fairfax, Va.: Hi Mary,

Our library (Fairfax County Public Library) owns 18 of your books. Such books on interior design are among the most popular checked out. Are there other authors, designers that we might recommend to our users, especially for decorating small spaces?

-- Fairfax County Public Library staff

Mary Gilliatt: There are masses! If you are especially interested in small spaces Laurie Mack did a book called 'Making the Most of Small Spaces'. The original publisher was the UK Conran Octopus but it maybe Clarkson Potter here. But Clarkson Potter, Bullfinch, Sterling, Watson Guptill and so on are all U.S. publishers with great decorating book lists.

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Washington, D.C.: We have moved our first floor layout around recently and changed the TV room into a dining room and are a bit stuck. The room is a mango orange and we have honey colored natural hardwood floors. We got a beautiful pedestal black table with chairs that have black spindles and woven straw seats. We had a bookshelf on one wall when it was the TV room but since we moved it, we have a bare wall. On the other wall, we have a painting called Flaming June which is essentially a woman resting in a calm pose by the water. Two questions: the frame we have the painting in matches the floor --should we get that in a black and matted frame to connect with the black table and when we are looking for something for the other wall, should it not be a person or what are the guidelines? We are going to have some sort of banquet or piece there but want to have a piece of art as well.

Mary Gilliatt: I think your idea of the black frame around the painting you already possess could look distinguished. You could do the same with whatever other painting or print you buy. I do not think it has to be a person! Maybe a summer landscape to go with the June feeling?

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Fairfax, Va.: I'm putting my house on the market and have an old stained, cracked concrete patio. Is there any type of granite/marble/rock tile that could used to cover it? I'm looking for an innovative less expensive solution than tearing it down and rebuilding the concrete patio. Thanks!

Mary Gilliatt: I would simply cover the old cracked concrete with some sandstone or lime stone tiles which should make it look like a million dollars.

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Annapolis, Md.: I was so happy to see this discussion! We live in a modest townhouse with a long narrow living/dining room. Our fireplace is centered on the front wall, with the front door to your left. The only windows are on either side of the fireplace. the right wall has no features and left wall has a powder room and stairs. The rear wall opens to the kitchen on the left and has a pass through on the right. Complicating the long narrow dark room is a column about 1/2 way back on the left side in front of the stairs. It's really our primary room for entertaining, holiday dinners (the table normally sits against the wall with the leaves dropped) and watching TV Please help!

Mary Gilliatt: Goodness. I wish I could see the room for myself and help you more. Do you have many books? If you do I might consider putting a wall of bookshelves on the featureless wall or building bookshelves around the doors and pass through or around the wall with the powder room door. You can fill them with objects, small prints etc. as well as books! Books really do furnish a room. Otherwise you could hang a collection of prints on any blank wall space. I am not quite sure of the exact placement of the lone column. Is there any chance of giving it a companion nearby so that it looks symmetric and more meant?

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District Heights, Md.: I have a floor plan that has a dining room/living room combination and an open kitchen, I painted the combo area gold with a burnt orange accent wall it looks great. But, now I have no idea what color to paint my kitchen since it is open the colors can't clash. I have been told that deep brown is too dark for a kitchen. Help!

Mary Gilliatt: I think you could simply paint it the same color if it is open to the living space. Or what about a stripe or check with that color and white? An alternative is a deeper tone of the burnt orange like a tobacco. A dark brown, as you say, might be a little gloomy unless you have plenty of light (both natural and artificial) in which case it could look quite smart.

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Washington, D.C.: I am about to put up window treatments however there is no window. I have seen it done with bare walls on television and it looked okay, but I'm afraid how it will look in person. What is your advice? I'd like to put art behind the panels so there will be something to look at in my faux window.

Mary Gilliatt: Have you seen those mirrors that look like windows? One or two of those (side by side) would approximate the look you want. If you know a good faux painter, they could paint a window with a scene behind. I did a French window like this with a plant-filled terrace painted behind it in a gloomy N.Y. entrance hall and it looked great.

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Washington, D.C.: Just moved into a new house that has fluorescent lights and acoustic ceiling tiles (the elementary school classroom look) across the ceiling. Help! Short of redoing the entire ceiling, any ideas on how to salvage this mess?

Otherwise a nice enough room, two big east facing windows, normal white walls, clean blue carpet.

Mary Gilliatt: Simply lower the ceiling! If, that is, the ceiling is not low right now. Get a builder to put an appropriate sheet rock panel up to disguise the old one and install recessed lights. It won't be expensive and will be a transformation ...

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Northern Virginia: What are this year's most popular colors? Is paisley still in?

Mary Gilliatt: There seems to be a great feeling for blue at the moment or a rather subtle gray-green like a pale sage. However, I have to say that I myself abhor the whole idea of fashionable colors. One would be forever changing one's walls to keep in fashion! I always advise people to just choose what you like and seems natural with what possessions, furniture, fabrics, rugs and accessories you have paying attention to the sort of light you have too. As for paisley, it always looks good. So go for it.

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New Haven, Conn.: I'm in a painting mood and want to do something with my white (white walls, white tiles on floor and walls) bathroom. What do you think of a Tiffany blue wall to go with the white tiles? It's a small bathroom but it gets a good amount of light.

Mary Gilliatt: I love all white bathrooms! Yours will look even more white if you paint the baseboards blue and add some blue towels amongst the white. You might also consider painting (or sticking up) a blue border just under the ceiling. This will be cheaper and less time consuming than painting one wall blue, though that would look good too.

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Northern Virginia: I have a 20-year-old sofa and love seat, which I love, but the upholstery is starting to fade. The current sofa and love seat are very comfortable. What are the pros and cons of reupholstering vs buying new?

Mary Gilliatt: If your upholstery is still comfortable for you I would simply have new slip covers made. Re-upholstering properly is pretty well as expensive as buying new so why change, I say, if it still suits you? Another solution -- until the pieces give up the ghost completely, is to simply sling a few throws and extra cushions on them in toning or contrasting colors to cover any shabbiness.

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Washington, D.C.: I just moved into a teeny tiny studio in the city. How can I make my home feel inviting -- like I'm not always in my bedroom?

Mary Gilliatt: First of all buy a sofa bed or a Murphy bed. This will escape the bedroom feeling. Dark walls can very often make a place seem more luxurious. I do not know your budget but if you can run to covering the walls with fabric (like a paisley or even a felt) the studio apartment will look even more sumptuous. Or glaze or lacquer the walls instead. If you hate this idea why not paint the floor, walls and trim all white and think about lining one whole wall one side of a window with mirror. This will double or triple your visual space as well as doubling or tripling the size of your window. One room that I saw like this had tiny Christmas lights strung around the window frames that looked quite romantic at night. Another idea, if you don't want an entirely white room (which can look marvelous in a small space: I once saw a room that even had white book covers!) is to keep the white look - and white upholstery too (have some spare slip covers made that can go in the washing machine) but use some bright pillows, lamp bases and so on, and perhaps paint the baseboards a bright color, or even just use black and white.

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Washington, D.C. : Did Katie Couric insist on taupe?

Mary Gilliatt: No!

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Washington, D.C.: Thank you for doing this chat, and taking my question. I have a 1 BR condo with a spiral staircase leading up to the sun loft. I would like to paint one of the walls behind the stairs as an accent wall, but have no idea what color. I have a lot of neutrals in all rooms, so I have some flexibility in color. This wall is closest to the kitchen, which has dark chocolate cabinets and stainless steel fixtures. All floors are hard wood. Any suggestions on paint color would be very, very appreciated! Thanks again.

Mary Gilliatt: What about silver? I said previously that I don't hold with 'fashionable' colors but silver can look great as an accent wall and spices up neutral colors without destroying the calm of it all. It will also pick up on the stainless steel. If you don't like that idea, you might consider a very wide stripe (say two to three ft.) in a tobacco and white, or tobacco and cream, to tie in with the kitchen color, or even the kitchen color and cream. If you have set your heart on using a bright color, say grass green or chrome yellow, you will need to add one or two other accents in those colors, like pillows or throws or just flowers. Another quite different idea would just be to mirror that whole wall and add a chocolate brown frame around it, or a silver frame to tie in with the kitchen again.

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Northern Virginia: What has been your biggest challenge recently in designing for one of your clients?

Mary Gilliatt: Having to dissuade a client - who had had the extreme good luck to get almost a whole houseful of furniture that he really loved in the store -- at a huge 60 percent discount -- not to send the whole lot back because he said he was depressed by it!!! After living with it for a couple of days he whittled down the things he wanted taken back to four. By the day they were taking those four pieces back to the extremely compliant and charming store, he almost wanted to keep the lot after all. We would not let him! Such lack of confidence in one's choices, even choices that one had longed to possess and which were equally liked by the designer sometimes happens alas. The lesson is to get used to it and not to panic. It is often the whole different look which frightens people.

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D.C.: That room is small ... a desk with/chair AND another chair on the opposite side of the bed ... doesn't seem a little cluttered to you?

Mary Gilliatt: They fit with room to spare, we measured it carefully to scale.

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Arlington, Va.: Hi Mary,

I hope you can help me. I have a great room with a family room with a fireplace, big windows, dining area and kitchen divided by an island. I have two sets of curtains, rugs, pillow, and dining chair covers for the warm season and for the cold season. The cold season's curtains, rugs, chair covers and pillows are all red and the the warm months are all off white. The problem I have is I don't know what color wall would go with both warm and cold month's colors I have with my furniture being Pottery Barn/Crate and Barrel leather and wood furniture. My kitchen cabinet is also medium brown. Can you help? Should I stick with one color on the wall for all kitchen, dining and living area or separate the area with different colors.

Mary Gilliatt: Actually, you can't really go wrong with a real white white or a very,very pale ivory with white trim to cover both seasons. If you want to add a little color paint the baseboards the red of the winter scheme -- they will look just as good red with the pale walls in the Summer. I don't think you need to differentiate the two areas. They will seem more harmonious painted as one. Add some big green indoor trees or plants in the Summer; Masses of red flowers in the winter.

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Silver Spring, Maryland: Hello Mary!Your show on PBS was the first decorating show I ever watched!

I have hung tab-top shower curtains as window treatments on my 8-foot kitchen window. They are a blue, yellow, and light green big plaid and hang on a white wooden decorative pole. I have cobalt blue tile countertops and light maple cabinets.

What color should I paint the walls, ceiling, and trim? I'm so confused, I haven't done a thing in 18 months of living there! Thanks.

Mary Gilliatt: How nice that you remember that show. It was the first decorating show you ever watched because it literally was the first 13 part decorating show in the U.S.! Do you like blues? Or greens? If so, why don't you paint the walls a cheering Summer sky blue or a pale grass green and use white trim?

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A row house in Petworth: So, it's not a room -- it's a floor! Or maybe it's a room.

My first floor living room-dining room - small back room all run together -- large door frames, but no doors between. So you can see all the way through. In addition, the front hall opens into the living room. As such, they need to go well together. I've decided that what I'd like to do is paint them in a single color but different shades, lightest in the front to darkest in the back.

Now I'm stuck on the color. The kitchen, which is off to the side, is black, scarlet, and white.

I've considered gray, going from very light to very dark and probably incorporating some paint effects (stripes or a color wash are on list of possibilities) But will that be too boring? I can't decide. (The furniture, which is not changing, is mostly wood - lots of red mahogany and some walnut. The upholstered stuff is burgundy and black in the living room and animal print in the back room.)

So, any ideas on other colors to consider?

Mary Gilliatt: Actually, I think your idea of different shades of gray would look very elegant with your various other colors. You could graduate from a very pale pearl gray to a real gunmetal (which you might consider glazing to give it a lacquered look. You might even add red or burgundy-painted base boards all the way through to go with your furniture and kitchen and consider a red grosgrain ribbon border just below the ceiling, or a red chair rail to relieve and accent the gray.

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Mary Gilliatt: They were all such interesting questions. I do hope the answers have been helpful. Sometimes I would so have liked to have seen the room in question to have known that I could make a difference. Anyway, I tried my best to visualize everything.

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